SENTENCES FULLY IN ITALICS ARE THINGS SAID IN THE PAST! 

EX: "This chapter should be done in a few days", the author had said over a year ago.

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Aurae eyed the couple suspiciously. "What's up?"

Soonyoung smiled warmly at her. "Well... W--"

"We plan on still living here after the wedding!", Seokmin blurted out, who released a sheepish guffaw in response to his fiancé's frown. "Sorry, babe."

Aurae waved them off. "Pfft, you guys don't have to do that. You should get a quaint little house of your own... Your own cuddle space."

"Plus, we'll need all the space we can get, once Noona and Hyung eventually decide to get together. I can already see the huge flock of annoying children running around the house... ruining my precious beauty sleep", interjected Jeonghan, whose expression turned smug once he heard the sounds of Seungcheol and Jihoon choking on their juice. That expression changed to one of minor annoyance when a huge gust of wind came through the kitchen window and blew long auburn hair in his face.

Aurae was the definition of timid as she looked down, suddenly taking interest in her slippers. She then attempted to console the two choking victims, wiping the table with her napkin. "Honestly, I--"

"No." Soonyoung took the opportunity to interrupt after sharing a knowing look with the oldest male, who was still trying to breathe properly. "We really want to stay. We love our family too much to leave. And we're not just that. We're a coven too. Adam's coven still lives together and they get so many new additions a year, it's practically a village. It just wouldn't feel right if we weren't surrounded by our family."

 That brought a smile to the eldest witch's face. She held the couple's hands, but not before noticing the way Junhui looked down sadly. "Alright, you make a great case. Though, I give you a week before you two start wishing for more space. We can start building a cottage right now if you'd like, unless you're the caravan type. I have connections, so we could get one cheap." She cleared . "And also, keep in mind that no one is forcing anyone to go or stay. And that goes for all of you. Well, except the younger boys. You can go ONLY if you're leaving with someone super trustworthy. Except Chan. You can't leave until we permanately find the solution to your um, heat dreams."

Chan cringed before he moved to get another cup of juice. "Noona, that sounds like something dirty and shameful. Can we please find another name?"

"Hot Thoughts?"

"Inferno no-no?"

"Hell Spell!"

"불타오르네."

"Blaze Daze."

"KwonnnnnFiiiiiirrrrre!"

"Flame Game."

"Warm Storm."

"Fire Aspire."

"Combustion Commotion!"

"Remember the Embers~"

"Ooh, Flare Scare."

"...The Burning Rain of Death."

Everyone turned to Minghao, who calmly looked back at them as he chewed on his toast.

"#Savage!", shouted the second youngest as he grabbed his coat and lunchbag, a horn honking outside. "I'll be back before sundown!"

"Tell Gao I said hi!"

The one dubbed Savage tapped Chan on the shoulder. "We should go, too. I heard there's an assembly after homeroom." The teens glanced at the three drivers of the house.

"I only have space for Noona, Jeonghan, and just one extra, so I'm out", argued Seungcheol.

Jun and Seokmin looked at each other before engaging in an intense match of rock paper scissors.

"Damn", groaned Seokmin.

"Yes! Come on, Soon. We can get to Lucky Mint right before it opens! ", proclaimed the victorious winner as he grabbed Soonyoung's coat from the rack while the newlyweds-to-be shared a chaste goodbye kiss.

"It feels like it will be a little slightly heavy rain later this morning, so keep an umbrella with you when you do any yard work. I don't need my cuddle buddy getting sick." The blonde waved to everyone left before running after a hyper Jun.

Seokmin hummed softly to himself as he searched his pockets for his car keys. "Wait for me by the van, maknaes. I just need to find my wallet."

The young teens obeyed, but not before hugging a dramatic Aurae. "Pay attention to your classes or you'll end up like Mingyu!", she faked sobbed.

"Ouch, Noona!"

She chuckled sheepishly, poking Mingyu's side repeatedly, knowing how ticklish he was. "It's not like I told you to dropout, Tree."

"Hahahaha, stop!"

Jeonghan tickled his other side. "He settled for just being a housewife so early in life."

"Hahahahahaha, did not!"

"Timber!"

They both stopped once he looked like he was going to piss himself, panting on the ground. "You guys didn't even enroll. Plus, Jihoonie hyung taught me more than the school ever did."

Jeonghan smirked behind his mug of tea. "But who taught you how to french kiss?"

The tipped-over Tree's cheeks blossomed into intensely red flowers. "EWWW HYUUUUUNNNNNGGGGGGGG! WHY WOULD YOU BRING UP THAT MONTH-LONG RELATIONSHIP WE HAD?! IT WAS SO CRINGE-WORTHY!"

Seokmin zoomed past them in midst of all the chaos, closing the door behind him.

"Oh, hush. We were the most attractive couple in town. Remember all the girls following us around and fawning?"

"Of course, I remember. That was how I got my next girlfriend. She was the one who always got nosebleeds when you and I kissed in public. God, we were so hormonal back then."

"Oh yeah, she was pretty."

Seungcheol held his hand up. "ANYWAY... Pinky, you look really nice today. What's the occasion? New Video?"

"Actually, I was hoping to finally put together my piece about Sea Beads and highlight a certain Madame we know." He turned to Aurae. "Is it fine if I tag along today?"

She waved him off. "You don't even need to ask. Lady Lumi adores you and you know Griselda loves when you come over. You're the only one that pampers her like a spoiled brat."

And with that, Seungcheol went to get his keys and lunchbag.

Mingyu pouted, nudging Jihoon's leg with his head. "But, who's gonna keep me company?"

He patted his head, a fond smile on his face. "Look at it this way, Minggu. You can watch all the cartoons you want. Plus, Seokmin will be back sooner or later and you can keep him company if you get bored."

"But, my hands..."

"Just don't eat, drink, think... or leave the sofa all day. I'll be back later with Noona. You can bother me then."

"But--"

Jeonghan stuffed a piece of toast in the boy's mouth, standing to help Aurae clear the table. "Ugh, you're such a Pup. You can handle not using your hands for one whole day."

Seungcheol walked outside to start the engine of his rusty pickup truck, clearing the back seats of burger wrappers and long-forgotten bottles of water. "Guess my favorite time of the day will be put on hold...I'll have her all to myself again tomorrow."

The passenger seat opened to reveal a certain pink-haired individual, carrying a bulky messenger bag. "You look like today, Cheol. Did you even go back to bed this morning?"

He chuckled softly, putting an arm around the younger. "Aw, my Pinky's worried about me. How cute~"

He stammered. "Pffft, n-no way!" He prayed that his cheeks remained non-rosy.

The older began to ruffle his hair, teasing with a singsong tone. "Admit it, you care about meeee. You love meeeee."

"Fine..... Maybe."

Seungcheol grinned triumphantly, kissing all over his face, minus the one spot Jihoon always wished he would at least graze.

"EW! DOG DROOL!", Jihoon managed to shout, despite his overactive heart beating thousands of beats per minute.

Aurae entered the car next, adjusting all the gaudy gold accessories she had to wear to look 'authentic'. "Aw, lay off of him. He's probably gonna get enough of that when we enter SeaBeads, The Spiritstore."

"Do you always have to say it like a commercial announcer?"

"DUH?! Where's the fun if you don't?"

Jeonghan entered, sliding next to her. "I would hate to be the person that gets in a fight with you and those arms full of bangles."

"They'd have the chance to run up...but all they're going to do is catch... these hands."

"Dear god, she's been hanging out with Memesol and Minghao too much. Drive before she starts doing that stupid running man challenge thingy like the rest of you!"

Seungcheol scoffed, placing his hand on the gear stick. "You're just mad because we asked you to join us, you refused, and it instantly became one of Woozi's most viewed videos."

And like that, they were on their way to town.

Amaris Creek was a pretty old town with a primarily Asian population. That was mostly due to fleeing from historical events, such as The Gold Rush and the USA's imprisonment of Japanese immigrants, and the migration of Korean laborers from Hawai'i in the early 1900s. It was also a town full of mystery and the location for many famous legends, yet surprisingly, there weren't that many tourists. And contrary to the town's name, there wasn't even evidence of a creek in its vicinity, minus the small one hidden in the foggy forest, by their home.  Many of its oldest remaining townsfolk spoke Latin, along with their respective languages; the town motto being 'Crede populus elementa, ex rubro odio plenus societas timeo'. No one younger than 70 even bothered to translate it.

Seungcheol stopped in front of The Nicer Diner first, the three young adults in the car yelling words of encouragement from open windows as an embarrassed Jeonghan entered his place of employment.

Four blocks West later, he parked in front of the hardware store.

Jihoon scoffed. "You don't even drop her off first? What a gentleman."

"...I literally work two stores down, across the street. I told him to do it this way. He causes too much traffic with his horrendous three-point turning."

"Gasp", a 'highly offended' Seungcheol said as he opened the door for the offender, making sure her long and ruffly skirt didn't get caught onto anything.

Jihoon rolled his eyes while he pretty much had to jump out the passenger side. "Just gasp. Don't just say the action."

".... Gasp."

"... Really?"

Aurae laughed at their antics. "Chill, Jihoonie. At least we get to sit around all day while Mr.Flannel there has to lift heavy boxes and tools."

"You know you both love the results!", shouted the retreating Fire witch.

"Bye Cheollie!" Grabbing Jihoon's hand, the two Air witches quickly crossed the street and walked down the path. Aurae greeted shop owners on the way.

A young girl stopped Jihoon. "Hi, Woozi! It's been a while since you've come to this side of town. Love the blog."

He smiled shyly. "Thank you, Katie. I'll make sure to mention your bakery on my next post after this one on Sea Beads."

Aurae nudged his shoulder as they entered said shop. "She seems nice. I sense a potential girlfriend~"

He chuckled. "She ships me with Cheol ever since I posted that video where we watch all those jumpscares together. Her username is 'JiCheolFTW'."

"Ah... Now that I think about it, I think she has a boyfriend anyway."

"Welcome back, Jihoon dear!" bellowed an older woman with a thick Romanian accent. "Aurae, go find him extra chair."

The girl complied, placing it in the corner of her small area.

"Glad to be back, Lady Lumi. Your store always draws me back in."

"You are very lucky. I brought fresh Fursecuri cu Ciocolatta  today."

"Oh, my favorite!" A huge ball of fur grazed against his leg and he smiled warmly at it. "Ah, Griselda, the best kitty in the world."

"I will bring them out soon. Sit, sit. You both look so tired."

Jihoon picked up the cat and sat her on his lap. "I could barely sleep."

Aurae sat down by her table, re-arranging the everyday objects she used. "Let's just say the full moon, um, dance went a little longer than usual."

The store owner chuckled softly as she shined the girl's crystal ball with the patchy fabric of her own ruffly skirt. "I do not understand why you kids like to dance under the moon. The witch stuff is frowned upon on your part of town, yes?"

Jihoon laughed nervously. "..It's not witch stuff. W-We just had--"

"Stop. We just have to tell her." Jihoon watched her solemn expression with wide eyes. Aurae always warned them about sharing such information. He had once seen her slap Jeonghan a few years ago, who wanted to use his abilities for revenge on a regular(at the time) customer that called him a girl and left no tip each time.

"But--"

"...Jihoonie and I... have started going on midnight hikes to find BigFoot or any other oddities. We still haven't found anything yet."

Lady Lumi's hefty laughter filled the tiny store. "You two are lying. You are going for romantic stroll instead. It's why he's dressed so nicely today, no? Funny, I always thought it would be handsome boy that works at Trusty or that cute boy Junie Jun ...or Mango."

Jihoon didn't even attempt to hold back his laughter.

The 'fortuneteller' made sure not to hit herself with her own chunky jeweler as she facepalmed. "We are not dating, Lumi. We really did go walking. And with the others from the.. neighborhood, too. Show her the prank footage."

The boy reached for his phone and began to explain the set-up, carrying Griselda under one arm as he walked over. "So, Mango told me a story yesterday and it was..."

Aurae drowned out the conversation and took her time to reorder her tarot deck before her first appointment or walk-in. As much as she didn't care for Tarot, most customers just didn't believe it was possible to tell fortunes with the same cards used to play Poker and Go Fish. 

She offered Tarot readings, palm readings, and even crystal ball readings if anyone asked. Though, she didn't really need to use most items of divination, or 'props' as she called it. 

With witchcraft and other 'non-traditional' practices taboo in Amaris Creek for some reason, most establishments like Sea Beads were just herbal apothecaries and novelty entertainment. When she got the job at 14, she assumed she'd find more witches and actual psychics to befriend.

"Just look at crystal ball and say something generic. Be good at lying and you have steady job", Lady Lumi, or Luminita Dalcos, had told her the day she was hired.

Knowing she'd get bored of just staring through a glass ball, she decided to speak with the women in Adam's coven. A divination/fertility witch named Lucia had previously taught her the art of Cartomancy as a child, so she went back to her for advice first.

"I will teach you the many ways of divination. You can use them yet trick the foolish townspeople into thinking they are just watching a show while things actually come true. You know, like make mistakes or pull out a book to 'reassure' yourself. It should be easy. There may be some of us who can see farther into the eyes of Mother Fate, but literally anyone can do this." She had taken Aurae's mug out of her hand and analyzed the leaves. "Even your tea says you won't get caught... Oh, what's this?... Seun--... Ji--... Uh, you know what? Nevermind. Some things of the future are best left to be discovered than expected."

A month later, she was capable of several methods of divination and even brought in her own coven to help over the years. Jeonghan had a two year position as a tea leaves reader and Hansol ordered his stones and crystals through the store. Jun still came in once every three months to decipher dreams while Seokmin and Mingyu marketed some of their tinctures, oils, incense, salves, and Aurae's candles in the store whenever FarMar had its dry season. The others simply joined as part of her act as a phony fortuneteller. They would make big gestures behind the customer, mouth words after reading from a random book, and act as if they were analyzing the customer even though Aurae already knew her answer minutes before. 

Currently, she had twenty regular customers a week and about an average of 10-15 tourists a month. And every October, she worked super late nights, often holding seances with Jun and Yoongi from a friend of Adam's coven as her portals into the spirit world. So far, no one had called her a witch or questioned her knowledge. They mostly searched around the room for cameras, projectors, and tape recorders. 

Aurae had a few entertaining and high-paying regulars. They obviously knew she wasn't just doing parlor tricks. One of those customers was a young lawyer who was known to sleep around; always getting her palms checked to see if the current man was Mr.Right. Another one was a constant worrier who even managed to find Aurae's cell phone number one year; constantly getting a 21-card Tarot spread each week to make sure she wasn't going to die the next. She had no idea what that middle-aged woman was doing career-wise, but she did tip super generously. Her third favorite customer was a spoiled rich teenager, who lived on one of the hills near the edge of town limits. She was a fan of Korean pop and frequently wanted card readings involving her and the boy band member she was obsessed with. Aurae wouldn't be surprised if the girl decided to one day ask her to go with her to South Korea, to read his fortune.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see a big camera, her hand clutching her heart. "Whoa, Ji--.. Woozi, you scared me!"

He laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, Noona. You know how I like candid things."

Chuckling, she smiled into the camera brightly. "It's fine. So, what do you need to know about me?"

"The Mysterious Madame Mist... How... do you feel being one of Woozi's best friends?"

An incredulous laugh erupted from her before she turned dead serious. "It's the best thing since sliced bread." Her expression turned into one of faux anguish. "Yet, I do feel less special now, just finding out that I'm not his number one best friend... He's mine."

Stammering was heard from the other side of the camera. "W-What? You are my number one best friend, Noona. I love you."

"So what? Big deal, want a cookie?", she deadpanned, an eyebrow raised.

"... I do, actually."

She stood and walked over to Luminita, Jihoon following behind. "Lady Lumi, the short cameraman wants some of your delicious cookies."

"You want Fursecuri? I bring them now."

"Thank you, Lady Lumi~", he said in a surprisingly sweet tone before turning to Aurae. "You have to be my number one. You're still breathing after calling me short."

A shiver went up her back, causing her to shudder. "I still don't think that bruise on Mingyu's back has healed yet." A plate of chocolate thumbprint cookies was placed in front of them, Aurae picking two up. "Thanks. Woozi-zi, say ahhhh~"

He obeyed, soon chewing into the chocolate-y goodness. "Mmmmmm~"

"All this cutesy stuff, I still think you are dating."

"We are NOT dating!", both witches 'politely' pointed out.

That caused more hefty laughter to fill the store. "Sure, Sure. Not my business." With that, the woman went off to help a customer that managed to enter the store without their knowledge.

"Okay, time for more interview questions. Madame Mist, tell me how you even got interested in such a profession."

"Well, it all started when--"

The chime on the door sounded loudly as one of her regular customers ran in; the rich teen. "Okay, I skipped class and rushed here as fast as my chauffeur could go. He replied back to me on twitter! I need you to do your card thingy to tell me if he'll remember me if I post a picture from that big concert last summe-- oh hey, what's Woozi doing here?" She gasped. "Did Woozi bring him here so my bias and I can reunite on film?"

Jihoon looked at Aurae with a face of pure disbelief as she nodded silently in response. "Angie, he's a close friend and just came to do a video about this place. But he's done for the day now and is planning to finish his important, um, piece about Trusty's Hardware Store across the street." A wink was added in his direction, hoping he understood.

Nodding, he began to pack his stuff. "Thanks, Mist. We'll do lunch really soon, okay? I know the best place for chocolate cookies by a sweet Romanian woman."

She chuckled, watching the girl shuffle her deck. "You got it."

In a bookstore on the other side of town, Hansol watched as his favorite customer entered the store and strutted straight to the aisle entitled 'Music/Music Theory' as if it were a catwalk. A dumb smile was instantly brought to his lovestruck face. 

Hansol had always loved the sun. He'd lay out in the grass field by the orphanage most days and laugh quietly to himself when the other kids marveled at how such a pale kid didn't tan or burn at all. Jeonghan used to have to drag him inside most days, so he wouldn't get heatstroke. And he still woke up with the sun 'til this very day, annoying his roommate who had an hour or two left to sleep.

His love for that sassy customer surpassed that huge star in the galaxy.

His name was Seungkwan Boo; a student at Chan and Minghao's high school. He remembered the first time he saw him like it was yesterday. It was one night at Junhui's job at the mall, Copious Caffeine Cafe, or 3C. It was during their Fun Fridays three years ago. Seungkwan had walked on stage with a friend who took her position at the piano. He thought there was nothing spectacular about the young teen, so he turned back to the counter to speak with his sibling, but everything changed when that beautiful voice filled his ears. He was mesmerized by him, as if it were just the two of them in that cafe. He studied his beautiful features; plump cheeks he would caress until they were stained with a shy pink, heart-shaped lips that could tell him to jump off a cliff and he'd do it in a heartbeat, adorable moles on his cheek and above his lips, and two soulful eyes that he could stare into all day if blinking was optional. Hansol didn't even need to question what was happening to him. At the age of 15, he fell in love.

After that, he tried to attend every Fun Friday, missing his performances each time. He made Jun swear he wouldn't tell Seungkwan he was looking for him. He wasn't ready to actually face him.

It wasn't until last year that he finally saw him again. Gao had started selling sheet music for some reason, and one boring Thursday afternoon in the spring, he walked in. The sun surrounded him as he stood by the door, making him look purely angelic. Hansol didn't even notice when the angel was already standing in front of him.

"Hello..um..", he had read his nametag, "Hansol, right? I heard this place has sheet music now. Where is it located?"

There was no response.

"Hello? ... Helloooo...?" Seungkwan then began to wave his hands in his face. "Yah, pay attention to me! Hansol!... HANSOL!"

The boy mentioned blinked. "Oh, u-uh, what?"

"Sheet music. Where?" Seungkwan rolled his eyes, fixing his hair. "What an idiot", he muttered in Korean.

"... The sheet music is in aisle one, also known as the one right next to you. Our owner also does special orders if you don't find what you want", he had replied back in perfect Korean, a sly grin on his face.

He'd never forget the cute surprised look on Seungkwan's face before he huffed and walked to his destination, seven feet away from the desk.

Their encounters became weekly; same day, same time. And each time, Hansol got bolder and Seungkwan got sassier. 

"So, how come I still haven't found you at school? I've seen your two dancer friends and that weird tall guy that's always in the library, but not you." He placed three thin books on the counter and looked for his wallet. "I'm pretty sure a decent looking guy like yourself would be pretty known around our campus."

"Aw. You trying to stalk me now, Boo?"

The singer didn't look impressed, practically slamming the money on the counter. "Don't even start with me, Hanstupid."

Hansol chuckled. "Okay, Okay. There's only one reason why you can't find me."

He gasped dramatically. "You're secretly an old vampire and graduated in 1917?"

With a playful roll of the eyes, he gave Seungkwan his receipt and began to bag the items. "No... I don't attend school. Never did. Chose not to be enrolled when I was a kid. My, um, parents were fine with it as long as I worked here at Purified Summer Bookstore."

The other took the bag handed to him and put it in his backpack. "Whoa, looks like we've got a rebel. Well, see you again next week."

"Nah, I'm pretty sure I'll see you in my dreams first thing tonight."

Seungkwan threw him a look of pure disgust. "Ew, You are so lucky this is the only place in town that sells sheet music!" And like that, he was gone again for another six days.

"Ah, so you're the next one to propose in our family."

Hansol jumped, sighing in relief to see that it was only Seokmin. "Hyung, what are you even doing here?"

He shrugged. "I always check the Home and Gardening section. But don't change the subject~ Is that the kid Jun told me you were in love with? He's cute. I approve."

"He what?"

Before Seokmin could say it again, a hand patted Hansol's shoulder. "Is Hansol here giving you trouble? I can make him walk home."

He gave the younger one a mischievous grin before it blossomed into his usual full sized, cancer-curing smiles. "No, Gao noona. I'm just giving him a hard time."

Gao was a short Laotian woman, with raven hair that almost reached the floor and a naturally demure aura. Her youthful appearance made it seem as if she was still the age she was when she found their family hiding in that shed.  And she was best friends with Aurae. "Oh, congratulations by the way! I'm so happy for you and Soonyoung."

His smile went shy. "Thank you, Noona."

"As for you, Hansol... it's been over a year. Make a move on that diva kid soon, or he'll get bored. I see the way you look at each other in the ten minutes that he's ever here. Just go for it! Ugh, the suspense is killing me."

Seokmin ruffled Hansol's hair before he could say anything. "Actually, he's been a lovesick puppy for three years now."

Hansol groaned, planting his face on the counter.

The store owner smoothed his hair. "Okay, Okay. We'll lay off. Seokmin, let me know if you need numbers for good wedding planners. I think Byunghun still has the binder with all the information. You'll definitely want the number for the bakery who made our cake. You remember how tasty it was."

He nodded, rubbing his tummy as if he were pregnant. "Great, now I'm craving cake."

As if coincidence, cake was being mentioned in a place right across town by another family member. "Thank you so much for the cake, Mrs. Spell. Everyone thought it was delicious as always."

"Oh, Jeonghan sweetie, you know how much I love feeding you and your family. How is everyone, by the way?"

"We're all doing great. In fact, Seokmin proposed to Soonyoung last night."

"Oh my goodness, that is so great to hear! I've been rooting for those two to finally tie the knot. They are absolutely adorable together." She sipped from her coffee. "You kids are growing up so fast. Before you know it, Chan and Minghao will be high school graduates. Well, I'm off to the salon. You look like you're due for a trim soon."

Jeonghan smiled sheepishly. "I'll try to remember."

He was happy to have such a caring woman like Mrs.Spell as a customer. She was the ex-social worker/current salon owner that helped his family fill out paperwork for things like employment and enrollment. In exchange, Mingyu and Seokmin gave her creams and oils for her carpal tunnel, while Seungcheol welded her copper bracelets every year for the same issue. She also had no problem with the fact that they were witches; one of her family members was a survivor of the Salem Witch Trials of the late 1600s. 

Mrs. Spell was the one to introduce Jeonghan to The Nicer Diner. He had been bussing tables for four years now. It was a quaint place, but it got really busy during autumn nights for some reason. The owner was a very nice man who only went by Mr.Hong. His co-workers were nice and treated him well. Except for one person: Mr.Hong's son, Joshua.

Joshua came to the diner a year ago, after deciding to live with his dad. As soon as the two met, they instantly didn't click well. Joshua was given the job as manager a month later, meaning Jeonghan was stuck with him. There wasn't a day that went by without Jeonghan secretly giving him the stink eye. Using magick wasn't an option either because, well, he doesn't like seeing Aurae look scared.

"Mr. Yoon, the customer at table 3 is complaining of cold coffee."

Jeonghan rolled his eyes before narrowing them, face centimeters away from his when he turned. "Table 3 is empty. As are the other tables at the moment.  Do you just like causing me trouble, Jisoo?"

Joshua didn't back down, looking him straight in the eyes as he whispered. "Maybe. ...Just give me a reason to fire you, Jeonghan-ah."

An eyebrow was raised. "We are not close. So, that's Jeonghan-ssi to you."

"I don't care."

Jeonghan broke their eye contact to check his watch. "So glad we could have this talk, but it's time for my lunch."

"...You know, you can't keep coming to work at a later time like today."

He scoffed, removing his suspenders and putting on a jacket. "I don't see why not. I had a family emergency and didn't get to sleep until 5am, Gloria owed me for taking over her shift for her birthday last month, and your dad was fine with it. Any other concern you have with me, please write it down and we'll have a professional discussion about it with our boss supervising. Now, with that being said, I'll be back in thirty minutes."

"Where are you going?"

"To get a free haircut and complain about you with the stylist."

Hours later, Aurae and Jihoon walked out of Sea Beads. 

"Well, today was fun. Let's go to the grocery store and buy ingredients for dinner."

"Sounds lik--"

"Aurae! Jihoon!" The two Air witches turned in the direction of the shouting to see Seungcheol running over.

"Hey, Cheollie. What's U--?"

"Chan got hurt." He grabbed both their hands and they ran over to the car, worry etched on their faces.

When they arrived at the hospital, they ran to the desk. "We're looking for Chan Lee."

"And just who are you to Mr. Lee?", A man to the left of them asked, pushing his spectacles up.

"Who are you to ask?"

"I am his school principal, Mr.Willows. His homeroom teacher had an urgent matter."

Seungcheol wiped his hands on his jeans and held one out to shake the man's hand. "Nice to finally meet you. I'm Seungcheol Choi, his dad. She's his mother, Aurae... Lee and that's his brother Jihoon." The two eldest members thought it was wise to fake-adopt all the boys under 16 when they were both 18 to make matters like this easier. They made Jeonghan a fake-legal guardian just in case anything tragic happened.  The paperwork was just real enough for the city to do the things they needed.

The older man raised a brow, sanitizing his hands after the encounter. "You two look awfully young to be parents. How old are you two if you don't mind me asking?"

Aurae gritted her teeth, eyes throwing daggers at the man who dare made them the object of scrutiny at a time like this. "Enough of the pleasantries, Principal Willows. Now, where. is. my. son?"

He stammered, feeling like a worm in front of an over-accessorized mama bird, clearing his throat soon after. "Ah, y-yes, he is in room 230 with Mr. Xu. I'll be going now, if you don't mind."

Seungcheol bit his lip, trying to hide his amusement. "Not at all. Have a great evening, Principal Willows."

After filling out paperwork, they entered the elevator.

"Wow, Noona. You almost made that old man cry for his mommy."

She chuckled, playfully punching Jihoon's shoulder. "He was too nosy for my liking. And didn't even say anything about Chan's well-being."

The three young adults' expressions changed to one of fear. They already saw his face full of anguish once today. Did they really have to see it again?

 But when they reached the room, they were surprised to see a smiling Chan sitting on the exam room table. He was getting the cast on his arm signed by Minghao.

"Noona~ Hyungs~ Sign my arm!... But no es, please."

Aurae walked over and sat next to him, hugging him close. "My baby's okay!"

Minghao poked her and pouted. "I thought I was your baby."

She wrapped an arm around him. "You both are my babies. Duh."

Jihoon pulled up a chair for himself and Seungcheol. "Chan, what happened?"

Minghao snorted as he made himself c0mfortable. "He broke his arm trying to impress a girl."

"Not just any girl, hyung!...We're talking about Maria Tineo." The adoration in his voice made Seungcheol chuckle.

"How?"

Minghao covered the young one's mouth before he could spout any rose-colored nonsense. "I'll tell the story since he's hopped up on painkillers after they had to crack his bones the right way. So, it was our free period in the theatre room and somehow we ended up having a dance-off out of boredom. Somewhere in the middle, that girl joined the crowd. I guess she was impressed by my awesome breakdancing, because next thing I know, he's gone from Michael Chanson to self-made b-boy. He transitioned from rocking to floorwork too fast and then we all heard a large crack."

"But Maria was impressed!"

The water witch rolled his eyes. "Keep telling yourself that, maknae."

After a quick talk with the doctor, they were on their way home.

Aurae sighed from the passenger seat as she removed all of her gaudy jewelry. "You need to be more careful next time, kid."

Seungcheol nodded. "You're not exactly made of steel and you were on fire just this morning."

"Yes, hyung and noona. But... It was worth it."

"How?"

"She gave me her number and now I have a date next Friday."

Everyone cheered loudly with the windows open to make him embarrassed. "LEE CHAN! LEE CHAN! LEE CHAN!"

-----

Okay, another chapter out! There weren't any witchy terms used but if you find some term you don't know, don't hesitate to ask me!

THANK YOU FOR READING!